Small articles are commonly displayed for sale in retail stores on racks or in display cases where the articles are hung. A variety of different hangers (also referred to as tags) have been used that are secured to the article and have a means for attaching the article to the rack for display. Several of the criteria for designing these hangers relate to the cost of manufacturing and the cost of attaching them to the articles. Another important design consideration is that the hangers must be convenient for the merchant to display and they must be convenient for the customer to remove after purchase.
Hangers used for displaying eyeglasses must be designed so that the customer can easily view the eyeglasses and remove them from the display rack. The hangers must also be designed so that the customer can easily try on a pair of eyeglasses without having to remove the hanger. Because a customer may try on several pairs of eyeglasses before making a selection, the hangers must be designed so that they can be removed and then reinstalled on the rack by the customer numerous times without damaging either the eyeglasses or the hangers.
These hangers or tags may include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags or electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags. These terms are referred to collectively herein as either “security devices,” “electronic security devices” or “electronic tags.” Electronic tags attached to articles have a wide variety of uses, including tracking, inventory control and security. These electronic tags can also provide electronically readable information pertaining to the articles. EAS tags may be used with an alarm system to provide theft deterrence by monitoring the location of the tags and any unauthorized movement of the article containing the EAS tag from a predetermined area. The tags can be enclosed in or attached to a variety of different devices, such as holders or housings, which accommodate the electronic tag and are used to attach the tags to articles. The tags are secured to the article so that they remain with the article until after the time of purchase.
With respect to some articles, such as eyeglasses (particularly wire frame eyeglasses), various hangers have been developed that are secured to different locations on the eyeglasses. A convenient but troublesome location for application of the hangers is near the temple portion of the eyeglasses where the legs are connected to the frame by hinges. While this is a desirous location to apply the hanger for a variety of reasons, it is difficult to retain the hanger at this location because the hanger can be easily removed by sliding the hanger down the leg of the eyeglasses.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a hanger with a security device, which may be secured to the temple portion of a pair of eyeglasses and which cannot be readily removed therefrom. Moreover, there is a need for a hanger for displaying eyeglasses that can be easily removed and reinstalled in the display and that does not prevent the eyeglasses from being worn by a customer. There is also a need for a hanger for displaying eyeglasses with a security device that can be economically manufactured and easily and firmly secured to the eyeglasses.